Chapter 8

• GWEN POV
• “Crying is useless, Gwen! It won't help anything!” I told myself loudly as I wiped my cheeks with the back of my hand. I tried to stay calm as I looked around the empty area. I was looking for a house, any house at all.
• I slowly walked across the road to a wide spot. I looked far down the long, lonely road. Nothing. No houses, no lights, just dark trees and cold snow.
• A shiver went through me. It wasn't just the cold; it was fear creeping in again. I went back to my car again, grabbing my warm coat, thick gloves, and my hat. I pulled them on quickly.
• What should I do now?
• What should I do now?
• Should I walk back to the place where my phone had service and call someone? I couldn't just sit here in my broken car and hope a friendly person would drive by. It was almost Christmas, so not many people would be out driving on small roads.
• I closed my eyes and tried to remember how far I had driven since April's text message came in. Was it a short distance, like half a mile? Or was it much farther, maybe five miles? I had no idea how far I was from safety. But I knew I couldn't just wait.
• I decided to put on more clothes first. I needed to be ready for the long walk. I grabbed my bag from the back seat and started looking for the warmest socks and a thick sweater.
• That's when I heard it. A sound in the distance. A car engine. It was coming from the direction I had driven from, right before my car accident.
• This is good news, right? Help is coming Gwen!
• But then my mind went back to all the crime shows I watched. A young woman alone, stuck on a dark, empty road? That's a perfect chance for a person to stop and kidnap them, kill them or do something crazy. I got a sudden, cold feeling in my stomach.
• I quickly pushed my bag back onto the floor of the car. I shut the door quietly, then walked to the back of my car and stood behind the trunk. I wanted the car between me and whoever was coming.
• I watched the road as the sound of the engine got even louder. Soon, a very large black SUV came into view. As it got closer, it started to slow down. The driver had seen me.
• I tried to think fast. How could I stay safe but still get help?
• ‘Maybe they will let me use their phone?’ No, my phone didn't work here, so theirs probably wouldn't either.
• ‘Maybe they could drive home and call a tow truck for me?’ Yes, but that would leave me here alone again, waiting. What if another, worse person came by while I waited?
• I looked around the totally empty landscape. What were the chances that another car would drive down this road soon? Zero, maybe? If this was my only chance for help, I would be very foolish to send this person away.
• The SUV drove slowly past my car. Is he not going to stop? The person was totally going to be an awful person if they didn't!
• But then the driver turned the big SUV into the driveway right next to me. He pushed a button and the car's yellow hazard lights began to flash—a signal that he was stopping to help.
• The driver’s door opened. A man got out. He was tall and wide, a huge figure in the darkness. He walked toward me.
• “Hello! Are you okay? What happened to your car?” he called out, his voice deep.
• ‘That voice’
• And then I saw his face more clearly under the pale light. He had silvery dark hair and bright green eyes.
• My breath caught in my throat.
• “Holy cow,” I whispered. “Isn't that the man I had a one night stand with?”
• It couldn't be. This was impossible. Was he following me? Was he a stalker?
• My fear grew huge. I took a step back. Then another. I started walking backward toward the ditch at the side of the road with every step he took toward me.
• “Wait! Don't go near the edge,” he called, sounding worried.
• But it was too late. For the second time in just twenty-four hours, this mystery man was watching me fall again for the second time because my foot missed the ground, and I tumbled down the slope into the ditch, landing hard on my butt in the cold snow.